Synthesis of event-triggered dynamic quantizers for networked control systems

Abstract There are several problems associated with quantization that affect the networked control systems (NCSs). For instance, the performance degradation of the system and the data rate constrains in the communication channel. In addition to this, in many situations it is necessary to minimize the traffic in the network to save resources like bandwidth or energy. To tackle such problems, this article proposes a variation of a novel type of event-triggered dynamic quantizer that uses knowledge of the input signals to minimize the system’s performance degradation, satisfy data rate constraints, and reduce the amount of traffic that the system puts in the network. The input signals knowledge is codified in a device called event-generator that decides when to send data to the plant. The quantizer design problem is formulated as a nonlinear and nonconvex optimization problem, which is solved using metaheuristics. The quantizer effectiveness is tested with several numerical examples and the design method is compared with previously developed ones showing superior performance. This study shows the viability of using a decision making device to reduce the traffic in the network at the same time of maintaining a low degradation in the system’s performance.